Environmental variation and the evolution of large brains in birds

Ferran Sayol; Joan Maspons; Oriol Lapiedra; Andrew N. Iwaniuk; Tamás Székely; Daniel Sol

doi:10.1038/ncomms13971

Nature Communications (Dec 2016)

Environmental variation and the evolution of large brains in birds

Ferran Sayol,
Joan Maspons,
Oriol Lapiedra,
Andrew N. Iwaniuk,
Tamás Székely,
Daniel Sol

Affiliations

Ferran Sayol: CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès
Joan Maspons: CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès
Oriol Lapiedra: Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
Andrew N. Iwaniuk: Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge
Tamás Székely: Department of Biology & Biochemistry, Milner Centre of Evolution, University of Bath
Daniel Sol: CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13971
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 7, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Environmental variation has been hypothesized to favour the evolution of large brains capable of adjusting behaviour to changing circumstances. Here, Sayolet al. find that across more than 1200 bird species, species with relatively large brains are indeed associated with more variable habitats.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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